Attendees visit booths at MWC 2026 in Barcelona, Spain, March 4. EPA-Yonhap
The Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP), the policy-planning arm of the Ministry of Science and ICT, has published its technical review report on MWC 2026, held from March 2 to 5 in Barcelona, Spain.
In the report, published Monday, the institute said MWC 2026 highlighted eight key technology trends and major implications. Among them, IITP identified the full-scale emergence of artificial intelligence (AI)-native networks as the most notable trend.
AI-native networks are communication systems designed with AI as a core function from the outset, rather than adding AI capabilities to existing systems, enabling the network to autonomously optimize itself, fix errors and adjust performance in real time.
The report noted that global telecommunications companies have begun deploying AI-driven autonomous networks in real-world environments, embedding AI across end-to-end networks through agentic AI-based intelligent operating systems.
Huawei presented its AI-Centric Network strategy, focusing on AI-driven service assurance, agent-based decision-making, collaboration and execution, as well as the advancement of Level 4 (L4) autonomous networks.
Ericsson outlined the evolution toward L4 autonomous networks based on AI-powered automation, emphasizing the role of operational platforms and application-layer enhancements.
Samsung also showcased its CognitiV NOS-based AI network operations platform, which analyzes aggregated data to identify network congestion, instability and areas requiring additional infrastructure, while also enabling automated adjustment and optimization in some cases.
“Going forward, competition in the network sector is expected to shift beyond coverage or hardware performance, moving toward the scope of AI agent deployment, real-time control of service quality and the capabilities of AI-driven autonomous network operations,” the report said.
IITP also noted that the innovation of AI-Radio Access Network in base station functions and the changing role of smartphones as an agentic AI device were key trends at MWC 2026.
Source: Korea Times News
